The UK has the world's largest installed offshore wind capacity, with the North Sea, Irish Sea and English Channel all hosting major projects.
Scotland leads UK onshore wind, but a planning moratorium in England (now lifted) suppressed growth in the south for a decade. New projects are now coming forward across all four nations.
All major wind farms colour-coded by type. Click a marker for project details. Marker size indicates capacity.
From the first turbine to world-leading offshore capacity — a history of UK wind power.
Though built in Denmark, the concept inspired UK planners. The UK's first offshore project, Scroby Sands, followed in 2004 off Great Yarmouth.
Cornwall's Delabole became the UK's first commercial onshore wind farm with 10 turbines at 400 kW each — a total of 4 MW.
30 turbines, 60 MW, off the coast of Great Yarmouth. Owned by E.ON, it demonstrated offshore viability and paved the way for Round 2 developments.
100 Vestas V90 turbines, 300 MW — then the largest offshore wind farm in the world, located off the Kent coast in the Thames Estuary outer area.
630 MW, 175 turbines in the outer Thames Estuary. Retained the world's largest title until 2017, operated by a consortium including Ørsted, E.ON and Masdar.
1,218 MW from 174 Siemens Gamesa 7 MW turbines in the North Sea. Enough to power over 1 million UK homes, built by Ørsted 120 km from the Yorkshire coast.
165 Siemens Gamesa 8 MW turbines for 1,320 MW total. Again built by Ørsted, adjacent to Hornsea One. Powers 1.4 million homes.
3,600 MW across three phases (A, B, C) using GE Haliade-X 13 MW turbines. Operated by a consortium of SSE, Equinor and Vårgrønn. Phase A expected 2025.
UK government committed to 50 GW offshore by 2030. Projects in the pipeline include Hornsea Three & Four, East Anglia Three, Morgan & Mona, and floating offshore wind in Scotland.
Data from DESNZ, National Grid ESO, The Crown Estate and industry bodies. Updated quarterly.
| Metric | Value | Source | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK offshore wind capacity (operational) | ~32 GW | DESNZ / IRENA | As of end 2024 |
| UK onshore wind capacity | ~15.1 GW | DESNZ | GB total; NI adds ~0.7 GW |
| % of electricity from wind (2023) | ~29% | National Grid ESO | Best year to date |
| Wind generation record | 20.9 GW (Jan 2022) | Elexon | Instantaneous half-hourly peak |
| Jobs in UK offshore wind | ~30,000 | RenewableUK | Direct + indirect |
| CfD AR6 lowest offshore bid | £44/MWh (2012 prices) | DESNZ AR6 | October 2024 auction |
| UK Crown Estate seabed leases | Round 4: 8 zones | The Crown Estate | ~32 GW potential |
| Floating offshore wind target (Scotland) | 5 GW by 2030 | Crown Estate Scotland | INTOG + ScotWind |
| Dogger Bank total capacity | 3,600 MW | Ørsted/SSE/Equinor | A+B+C phases |
| Average offshore wind turbine height | ~180m to tip | Industry | Varies by project |
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